


The End Is Never the End

by sugarblossom



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Anime)
Genre: Fluff, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Papa Kukui
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-20
Updated: 2019-10-20
Packaged: 2020-12-27 01:38:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,354
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21110570
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sugarblossom/pseuds/sugarblossom
Summary: The Manalo Conference has ended, how does Ash and Kukui deal with the inevitable departure?One-shot written from Professor Kukui's POV





	The End Is Never the End

Watching my boarder run around the league party, I could help but feel a sense of pride that no other student of mine has invoked. No, it’s not because of how much he eats. It’s something else. It’s wanting to keep him happy. It’s wishing for him to succeed. It’s an urge to protect this little reckless kid, even when he’s the last one who needs it. If I’m being honest with myself, I still couldn’t believe he won the exhibition match against me. 

“Who is this kid anyway?” I mumbled, eyes tracking Ash’s sly grin as he played tag with his Pikachu. His starter. The one who defeated a god. There’s not enough time for me to find out.

Out of the corner of my eye, I notice Professor Oak glance between Ash and me. “He’s an interesting kid, hm?” 

I took a sip of my drink, nodding. “With all due respect, Professor Oak, I can’t deny that.” Professor Oak only chuckled, eyes twinkling as if I still have no idea what I’m in for when taking care of Ash.

“Please call me Samuel. It’s only fitting.” I stared at the professor with furrowed eyebrows. Fitting? Since when were we on a first-name basis? Ash’s laugh twirled around the room like a lullaby, calming me. “So about Ash...”

I sighed, placing my glass down on the table. “Look, Prof- Samuel, I still don’t get him.”

Samuel smirked, both of us watching Ash petting Pikachu, Z-ring glistening under the orange sunset. I’ve never seen anyone with a bond closer than Ash and Pikachu’s. How is that possible? That a simple unevolved mouse pokemon could defeat this island’s guardian deity? Sure, he was surprised, but at the same time...

“None of us really get him, except Pikachu.” I glanced at Samuel, a mixture of joy and sadness on both of our faces. “Must be because of all the wacky adventures they’ve been through together.” Ash darted across the beach, getting tackled by Pikachu into the sand, both of them giggling. The rest of his pokemon were all spread across the party, but Pikachu? It’s almost like they can’t be apart.

Grinning, I glanced up at the sky. Did the gods plan for me to meet this kid? This stubborn, gluttonous, yet determined and excitable kid? I took a deep breath of the ocean breeze. Thank the tapus I got to meet Ash. “It’s pretty befitting for Ash to win this league-”

“Since he nearly won the last league?” Samuel asked. I stopped short, mind going blanker than a field of snow.

“What?”

Samuel also blinked. “Do you know what Ash has been through? Surely his win wasn’t a fluke.” I, what? I mean, it makes sense for Ash to be an experienced battler, but why did he- what-huh?

“I, I don’t know. I don’t normally research what my boarders do before they came here.” I should have, shouldn’t I? Why didn’t I? Why was I afrai- why was I hesitant on knowing where Ash had been? It’s not like he could just leave us behind, right? “Uh, yeah, um, I was just saying how Ash inspired me to build this league. It’s only fitting that he’s the first champion.” Though that wasn’t the only thing Ash has taught me.

Samuel smiled like he knew exactly how it felt. “Inspired, huh. Was Pikachu there?”

I paused for a moment. “Now that you say it, Pikachu wasn’t there when I met him.” Ash’s new Incineroar softly growled at me, before running off after Ash. “I should have known that having Ash as my boarder would be a doozy when I first met him so long ago.”

“Time travel?” Samuel deadpanned at me like it was norm-

I threw my hands up in exasperation, causing Ash to glance in my direction. “Of course. Why am I surprised you also experienced Ash’s shenanigans, I really shouldn’t be by now. If Ash can win against a god with a unique Z-move of his own-”

Samuel chortled, “He’s seen and done more things than you could imagine.” He lightly shrugged. “Then again he has seen more pokemon than I have.” Ash scooped Pikachu up into his arms, running towards us with a grin.

“That’s, ok, I get that he’s your grandson, but you’re The Pokemon Professor-”

“He’s my grandson in all but blood, except I’m not lying.” Before I could react, Samuel faced Ash as he bounded and nearly leaped at us. What does he mean?

“Professors! I’m so glad you’re getting along!” he exclaimed. Pikachu almost beamed at us, chirping at Ash. “Yeah yeah, Pika, I know. Oh, am I interrupting?”

Samuel shook his head, patting Ash’s shoulder. “Congratulations, Ash. I knew you two would go far.”

Ash beamed like the sun behind him, stretching on for miles and miles. “Thank you!” Pikachu nuzzled Ash’s cheek, both of them having the time of their lives. How can these two pure sweeties be so dangerous on the battlefield? I shivered, thinking back to the battle that took place a few hours before. That last attack. How much would they have been through for that to happen? A warm hug curled around my heart.

A hand waved in front of my vision. “Did you fuel Pikachu’s power?” Ash startled, dropping his hand to his side. How long had I spaced out for? Even Samuel was nowhere to be seen.

“Oh, the Z-move? I guess so!” Ash answered, “Then again, all Z-moves depend on the bond between trainers and their pokemon, so...” Pikachu’s ears twitched as he climbed up to Ash’s shoulder.

I breathed out through my nose. “No one else is physically drained after a Z-move.” I thought I saw Ash wincing, but he immediately wore a nostalgic smile to mask it. The lively conversations of the party fell away as a chill went up through my spine.

“It’s like me and Greninja’s bond.” Samuel’s previous statement slammed into me like a Snorlax.

“Kalos? Don’t tell me...” Pikachu nodded as Ash hung his head, hat covering his eyes. I gulped, before turning to the party, yelling, “Ash and I are going inside!” Ash glanced up at me, eyes wide as I gestured him to our- Ash is leaving soon, you have no right to call it that- my house. Ash’s pokemon began to crowd around Ash, but Ash met each of their eyes and shook his head. Only Pikachu ran ahead of us.

“Professor?” Ash whispered, trying to make the walk less awkward.

I glanced at Ash, heart aching like whenever Burnet left for a research expedition. But at least I knew she would come back. “Please call me Kukui.” At Ash’s obvious rebuttal, I answered, “I’m no longer your teacher.”

“...Right. Well, I surprisingly had a lot of fun at this school. Everyone was so welcoming and friendly!”

I nearly stopped walking up the stairs. “Please don’t...” Ash played with the straps of his bag, staring out over the beach. How could Ash be so eager to move on? Does our relationship, no matter what it is, not matter to him? His reassuring smile only brought a frown upon my face as we entered my house. Pikachu and I watched Ash place his bag in the right place, but I only felt empty. 

“Alright, let’s do this,” he sighed. I got my computer and sat on the couch, patting the seat next to me. Ash and Pikachu glanced at each other, a weak smile on their faces as Ash sat beside me. “What do you want from me?”

I did a double-take at Ash’s flat tone, causing my hands to shake. Pikachu glanced between us, cooing at Ash, who had a dejected look on his face. “I just wanted to get to know you a little more. It’s not every day your kid- boarder wins a league.” I felt Ash’s stare on me as I opened a search engine and typed his name into it. Was he leaning away from me?

“I don’t mind this, but-”

“Yeah, I know it’s boring, but please stay with me.” Please stay with us forever. My heart pounded at the thought. It’s selfish, isn’t it? To want to keep someone so close to you? Before my mind got stuck in a loop of shame, I stared at the pages that came up on my computer. “...What.”

Ash peeked at the pages of both achievements and insults. “Um, yeah.” Pikachu squeaked as Ash held him closer, gently squeezing him like a plush. Though Pikachu clearly doesn’t mind. He only cared about Ash.

“How many leagues have you been in?” I breathed out. Ash only shrugged, not giving me an answer. I scrolled through the searches, each word stirring up more of my ocean of conflicts. “Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, Unova, Kalos. You’ve won the Orange Archipelago League and you’re a battle frontier-”

“I turned it down.” I stopped short. Why? My shock must have been evident, as Ash explained, “I wanted to travel.” It wouldn’t have hurt me any less if Ash stabbed me with a sword at that moment.

“But, you stayed! You lived in ou-my house!”

“Yeah.” I stopped reading the articles, hand hovering over the lid of my computer. If he wants to go that badly- “And I’m gonna miss it.” Huh? Ash stroked a hand over a silent Pikachu, almost like he’s grounding himself. “This was a vacation.”

I stared at my- I stared at Ash. “You call battling Ultra Beasts and raising a legendary and traveling to different-”

“Yeah.” He sighed, leaning back on the couch. “At first, I wasn’t used to staying in one place so often. But now? I don’t want to leave.” A combination of warmth and sorrow shot through me. 

“You’ve won, where do you go from here?”

Ash shook his head, eyes sparkling. “I still gotta defeat all the other regions! I’m not a pokemon master yet!” I sighed, tipping my hat so it covers my eyes. I can’t force him to stay, can I? Do I have to let him go?

“I guess I can’t do anything else for you. Well, I still hope you’ll come back. You’re the champion after all.” I closed the page on Ash’s accolades, a sense of pride and guilt swirling around my mind as I murmured to myself, “I never should have gotten so close to you.” Ash stood up with Pikachu in his arms, both of them staring down at me.

“Do you really feel that way? That you can’t be close to me?”

I winced at Ash’s intense stare. “Look, you’re going to leave soon-”

“What difference does that make? I have so many friends and pokemon, do you think our bonds disappeared?” He nearly grabbed my computer away from me as he typed in some words. Pikachu hopped onto the table, chirping worriedly. “Shh, Pikachu, it’s ok.” He showed me a picture of him battling with his unique Greninja. “This is Greninja. I released him because that’s what’s right. Because he wanted to stay in Kalos. And I let him.”

I froze, jaw-dropping. “Ash, you released-”

“Our bond was special. We could see through each other’s eyes and feel the same pain. Did that go away because I left? No. Did I trust him to take care of himself? Yes. I’ve dealt with this type of situation many times by now, please don’t make it like you regret meeting me-”

“I don’t regret meeting you at all!” I denied. “You’ve taught me so much, not to mention how you and your friends planned my wedding! I just… don’t worry about it.”

Ash’s lips trembled as he yelled, “Don’t worry about it?! What-”

I waved my hands in front of me. “No, no, Ash, I’m just thinking about how I’m not supposed to be so close to you! It’s just, I’m not usually this-” I cut myself off as Ash dipped his head. “Ash?”

“... I met a boy named Sammy. He time-traveled years into the future, and we became really good friends through saving Celebi. Were we supposed to become friends?” Ash’s amber eyes pierced through me. “When he time-traveled back, did I forget our adventure together? Did I ever regret meeting him?” 

I bit my lip, hesitating. “Ash, this is different. You’re not my son, so I really shouldn’t be acting this way towards you, I know it!” Ash’s glare could probably intimidate Arceus with its intensity. Pikachu’s ears tilted downwards as he climbed onto Ash’s head.

Wildly gestured at me, Ash took a sharp breath. “What happened to our Alolan family? What made being related to each other the most important thing for a parent-son bond?”

Staring at Ash as he clenched his fists, I asked, “You’re not just brushing off the ‘Alolan family’ as a joke?”

Ash gave a hysterical laugh. “No! You’ve become my second family, my second home! Sure, I’m leaving, but I’m definitely gonna come visit!” There was a moment of silence. Pikachu hopped down onto the table, patting my hand and squeaking.

“...You’re going to visit.” 

Ash flopped back onto the couch, nodding. “Just like how I visit Sammy, I promise.” 

I felt the overhead clouds disperse, breathlessly laughing. “Ok. Ok!” Pikachu gave a joyful thrill, climbing back into Ash’s arms as he leaned against me. I slung my arm over Ash’s shoulder, taking off his hat and ruffling his silky hair. “I’ll make sure you keep that promise, or else I’m grounding you.”

Relaxing, Ash giggled and glanced back at my computer screen. “I can’t believe we’ve come so far.”

I nodded, reading over how the little Pikachu in Ash’s arms tied with a Latios using Volt Tackle and Iron Tail together. “I can’t believe you’ve come so far. Look at you!” The pride inside me was threatening to burst.

“Hm, I guess you’re right. Thanks.”

“And if anyone says you’re a bad trainer or don’t care about your pokemon, I’ll-”

Ash yawned, head drooping against my shoulder. “I got it. Thanks, dad.” I may never understand Ash, but I do understand what I’m feeling right now. It’s love.

**Author's Note:**

> I just had to get this one out today, so who knows when I'm going to post again? Not me.


End file.
